A pre-decision program has long been an integral part of international relocation. However, for domestic relocations, most employers left it up to the employees and their families to determine if the relocation was a good idea, leaving them to consider:
Until recently, the world seemed to be moving inexorably closer, with “us” and “them” giving way to a more global sensibility. Recent populist political movements, from Brexit to Trumpism to Italy’s Five Star Movement and France’s National Rally Party, have challenged this narrative, advocating for a return of local sovereignty and the primacy of national interests. The implications are significant for global mobility and companies that depend on a free flow of talent.
In a recent TRC Global Mobility/Worldwide ERC Learning Zone webinar, Dean Foster, Founder, DFA Intercultural Global Solutions and Executive Strategic Consultant, Dwellworks Intercultural, discussed how cultures and companies are adapting and responding to the new post-global world. He noted that culture is the DNA of a nation. Everything else—politics, economics, social and business life—is a consequence of this culture.
Dean discussed some on-the-ground daily mobility challenges in three areas: Read More
According to a new Mercer study, People First: Driving Growth in Emerging Megacities, 47% of GDP growth between 2010-2025 will come from 443 growth economy cities worldwide. The underlying research question was what will attract the most talented workers to these growing cities—and what will make them stay?
Mercer surveyed 7,200 people in 15 cities and seven countries, asking them what is most important to them in the place they live and work. The results help us to understand what motivates people to stay in or move to a particular city—something of material importance to employers that are competing for talent. Read More
The following post was originally published on November 29, 2018 by Worldwide ERC.
Dear colleagues:
The movement of government offers clues to the way business will unfold, as new lawmakers enter and others depart. With the recent elections in the United States, we want to provide you with an understanding of the impact such changes could have on mobility.
On November 6, midterm elections (which occur halfway between presidential elections for open Congressional seats) were held, resulting in Democrats taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Republicans expanding their majority in the United States Senate to 53-47. Democrats gained a net of 40 seats in the House. Read More
Originally Published by Worldwide ERC on November 4, 2018On 4 November, HBO aired an interview from 29 October with U.S. President Donald Trump conducted by the media company Axios. In response to a question, the President cited his ability to issue an executive order to end the automatic citizenship for certain individuals born in the U.S.
Based on the video and written excerpts of the interview released by Axios, President Trump stated White House counsel believes he has the authority to end the citizenship right for newborns of non-citizens and unauthorized immigrants through executive order. Read More
Recent Worldwide ERC® data shows that the average cost for a company to relocate a current homeowner employee within the U.S. is $79,425. International assignments are more complex, and not surprisingly, more expensive, sometimes costing employers $1m or more.
It has always been important for companies to protect this substantial investment, but the continuing talent shortage has added another imperative: your best and brightest employees—the ones you are most likely to relocate or to send on assignment—are prime targets of your competitors. They would be happy to capitalize on your investment in your employees, particularly when it comes to international assignment experience. Read More
The following article was originally published by Pete Scott on https://www.worldwideerc.org.
In a letter to the Attorney General of New Jersey released 29 June 2018, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) restated and supported the position it took in December of 2017 that prepayments of 2018 property taxes in 2017 are allowable as 2017 deductions only if the 2018 tax has been assessed.
The latest IRS letter makes clear that it is not backing away from its earlier position. The correct answer will eventually have to be decided by the courts.
Following enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), which imposed an aggregate deduction limit of $10,000 on state and local income, property, and sales taxes beginning in 2018, many taxpayers sought to prepay 2018 taxes in 2017 hoping to achieve a full deduction on their 2017 returns. The TCJA explicitly forbade such deductions for 2018 income taxes, but was silent as to property taxes. Read More
Short Term Developmental Assignments (STDAs) are an increasingly popular tool for businesses to accomplish specific, finite projects and to develop employees while containing costs. Domestic STDAs really seemed to take off in the U.S. in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Concurrently, international short-term assignments, which have been on the radar longer, grew in popularity as companies looked for ways to reduce the cost of international relocation. Read More
By Melissa Seitz-Medford, Manager, TRC Consulting Services
At the recent Worldwide ERC® Americas Conference in Dallas, I couldn’t help but notice how many individuals were wearing “first time attendee” name badges. Although this was not my first time at a WERC conference, I thought it was interesting and exciting to see how many new faces there were, and I looked forward to hearing what they had to say.
Forums like WERC provide a wonderful platform for relocation industry veterans and those who may be looking at global mobility with “fresh eyes” to share thoughts, professional challenges and solutions. Given all of the work that goes into producing these conferences, and the substantial investment companies make to participate, it is worth considering how you can make the most of your time at them. Read More
The passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in late 2017 and its almost immediate effective date of 1 January 2018 took many in the mobility industry by surprise. One key change, the repeal of the employee moving expenses deduction, left many companies wondering about the tax treatment of three common relocation benefits that historically have been tax deductible for transferees:
• Household Goods Shipment (including pet and automobile shipments)
• Household Goods Storage Expenses
• Final Move Expenses Read More